DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Money Is Ruining My Marriage
People have a lot of opinions about money.
In our “Money Mic” series, we hand over the podium to someone with a strong opinion on a financial topic. These are their views, not ours, but we welcome your responses.
Today, one woman discusses her deep misgivings about her marriage, why she resents being the sole breadwinner and how her dynamic with her husband affects their kids.
Money is emotional and sensitive, so please respect that each person makes individual choices. For things you can do in a similar situation to strengthen your relationships and talk about money, keep reading.
I can’t even remember when my husband stopped working.
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NDAA Plaintiffs Answer Questions On Reddit
The Obama administration might be coming for you, no matter who you are, according to a group of people fighting President Barack Obama's indefinite detention act.
Chris Hedges, Daniel Ellsberg, and a whole host of others involved in the fight against the National Defense Authorization Act yesterday took to Reddit to answer questions about the act.
A federal judge permanently blocked the NDAA — which allows the government to indefinitely detain anyone even remotely related to terrorism — claiming it has a "chilling effect" on free speech.
But the Obama administration was quick to pounce, saying Judge Katherine B. Forrest overstepped her bounds in opposing the White House.
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POLITICS
A national political campaign is better than the best circus ever heard of, with a mass baptism and a couple of hangings thrown in. I confess I enjoy democracy immensely. It is incomparably idiotic, and hence incomparably amusing. – H.L. Mencken
The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office. – H.L. Mencken
Our current political system ensures not that the worst will get on top — though they often do — but that the best will never even apply. – Paul Jacob
Washington has a mysterious power to turn perfectly reasonable, wholesome, well-meaning human beings into equivocating crooked gasbags. – David Harsanyi
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ABC News Tracks Missing iPad To Florida Home Of TSA Officer
In the latest apparent case of what have been hundreds of thefts by TSA officers of passenger belongings, an iPad left behind at a security checkpoint in the Orlando airport was tracked as it moved 30 miles to the home of the TSA officer last seen handling it.
Confronted two weeks later by ABC News, the TSA officer, Andy Ramirez, at first denied having the missing iPad, but ultimately turned it over after blaming his wife for taking it from the airport.
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CLINGING TO HOPE
Why QE Won't Create Inflation Quite As Expected
The Fed can create money but if it doesn't end up as household income it is "dead money."
In the consensus view, the Federal Reserve's unlimited quantitative easing (QE3) programs will do two things: 1) boost stocks and other "risk on" assets and 2) generate inflation. The two follow-on effects are related, of course; gold and other hard assets are rising in anticipation of higher inflation.
But all is not quite as it seems when it comes to the inflationary effect of creating money. I'm going to cover a lot of ground here so buckle up and grab your favorite stimulating beverage.
Let's use some examples to illustrate key features of the relationship between money creation and inflation. Let's say a central bank prints $1 trillion in cash currency, digs a big hole and buries it. Does that $1 trillion in new money cause inflation? No, because it never got into the hands of people who might trade it for goods and services in the real world.
Recall that the premise of monetary inflation is straightforward supply and demand: when money is abundant and goods are scarce, the price of goods rises as abundant demand (everybody has lots of cash or credit) meets limited supply (limited oil, gold, grain, etc.) in an open marketplace.
Let's say the Fed electronically creates $1 trillion and metaphorically buries it in some account where it sits as "dead money." It cannot trigger inflation because it isn't reaching the hands of people who might use it to buy scarce goods and services.
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Documents Show the U.S. Military Sprayed Radioactive Zinc Cadmium Sulfide On Poor People In St. Louis
Another story that is so insane it is almost impossible to believe. Channel 5 KDSK in St. Louis reports:
The I-Team independently verified that the spraying of zinc cadmium sulfide did take place in St. Louis on thousands of unsuspecting citizens. What is unclear is whether the Army added a radioactive material to the compound as Martino-Taylor’s research implies.
“The study was secretive for reason. They didn’t have volunteers stepping up and saying yeah, I’ll breathe zinc cadmium sulfide with radioactive particles,” said Martino-Taylor.
“There is a lot of evidence that shows people in St. Louis and the city, in particular minority communities, were subjected to military testing that was connected to a larger radiological weapons testing project,” she said.
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The Lincoln Curse: (Obama Edition)
In an essay entitled "Lincoln, the Declaration, and Secular Puritanism: A Rhetoric for Continuing Revolution," the late literary scholar Mel Bradford explained the ideological genesis of American military and foreign policy that has prevailed since 1863. Lincoln’s "erroneous understanding of the Declaration of Independence" as espoused in The Gettysburg Address, wrote Bradford, established "a rhetoric for continuing revolution" and "set us forever to ‘trampling out the grapes of wrath.’"
What Bradford meant by this is the way in which Lincoln quoted the "all men are created equal" line from the Declaration and reinterpreted it to mean that it was somehow the duty of Americans to stamp out all sin in the world, wherever it may be found, so that ALL MEN everywhere could share in equal freedom. Hence the "rhetoric of continuing revolution." The "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which referred to the death of some 850,000 Americans (the latest estimate of the "Civil War" death toll) as "the glory of the coming of the lord," went a long way toward implanting this vision in the minds of Americans. The decades-long deification of Lincoln after his death (by the Republican Party with the help of the New England clergy) served (and serves) the same purpose.
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Frankness About Wealth Redistribution
When taxation is part of government, wealth redistribution goes hand in hand with
it. Taxation was what feudal systems used so as to pay rent to the monarchy. The
monarch, after all, used to own the realm. All of it. So just as owners of apartment
houses, monarch's collect rent from those living in there.
The meaning of this is that members of the population got to live in the country by
permission of the government, be that a tzar, king, pharaoh, caesar or some other
ruler who had nearly absolute power to run the place. It is still so in many regions of the globe. The people aren't deemed to have rights, including private property rights. That emerged late in the history of Western politics, mainly within the philosophy of the Englishman John Locke and his followers. They defended the idea of natural rights against those who championed the divine right of monarchs.
With the American Revolution the Lockean system started to be implemented, though by no means fully.
This abolished serfdom or involuntary servitude but didn't quite manage to abolish taxation, namely, the confiscation of people's resources, although in principle that should have followed the revolutionary turn of events. If citizens own their lives − have an unalienable right to life −they also own the fruits of their labor.
(And such fruits did not need to be created by them from scratch as Mr. Obama suggested with his misguided remark, "You did not build that.")
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US Judiciary Leans Towards Disclosure Laws That Could Confiscate Electronic Assets
Jail time for refusing to comply with mandatory key disclosure hasn't occurred in the United States yet. But, it's already happening in jurisdictions such as the UK, where a 33-year-old man was incarcerated for refusing to turn over his decryption keys and a youth was jailed for not disclosing a 50-character encryption password to authorities. Similarly harsh, key disclosure laws also exist in Australia and South Africa which compel individuals to surrender cryptographic keys to law enforcement without regard for the usual common law protection against self-incrimination. – Forbes
Dominant Social Theme: If you encrypt it, it's good as gold.
Free-Market Analysis: Here's something we don't ordinarily see in the mainstream press: thoughtful, even courageous, reporting. The author of this article, Jon Matonis, has pointed out that where cryptography has succeeded, authoritarianism must eventually follow.
In fact, his point is even more subversive: Successful encryption PROVOKES the state. Using Tor encryption, many currently feel secure about their state of affairs. But the rampant state in the 21st century has the answer to this: It will simply arrest you and throw you in jail until you render your "key" unto Caesar. Here's some more from the article:
Key disclosure laws may become the most important government tool in asset seizures and the war on money laundering. When charged with a criminal offense, that refers to the ability of the government to demand that you surrender your private encryption keys that decrypt your data. If your data is currency such as access control to various amounts of bitcoin on the block chain, then you have surrendered your financial transaction history and potentially the value itself.
These laws will impact not only money laundering prosecution but almost any asset protection strategy that attempts to maintain an element of financial privacy such as private banking or family trusts. Prior to all these money laundering laws being enacted, I once heard it said that the practice of moving money around was simply referred to as banking.
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Buddhist Statue Discovered By Nazis Is Made Of Meteorite
If Re-Elected, Obama Should End FCC Threat To Restrict TV News, Press
By: Corydon B. Dunham
Corydon Dunham is a former TV network executive and general counsel, and author of , “Government Control of News.”
On Tuesday, President Obama spent much of his address to the United Nations General Assembly discussing free speech in an era of global instant communication.
“I know that not all countries in this body share this particular understanding of the protection of free speech,” he said.
Meanwhile, under his administration the FCC is holding a plan for a new balance, diversity and localism rule that would enable the U.S. government to suppress television news and restrict speech.
The new rule is similar to the old Fairness Doctrine, which the FCC and courts revoked in 1987 when they found it was against the public interest. FCC investigations had deterred and suppressed television news, restricted speech, and prevented criticism of incumbent administrations.
As my book reveals, the new localism rule would have similar results or worse. One new member of the FCC staff who helped draft the localism rule has written that freedom of speech and press is not his “objective,” and that free speech “is warped to protect global corporations and block rules that would promote democratic governance.” He also concludes the new localism rule could be used to take away licenses in place of the “misnamed Fairness Doctrine.”
Another wrote that television is a “powerful source of homogenization and pabulum,” and recommended using burdensome FCC regulations to “hasten the demise of broadcasting” (later reworded.) That writer applauded a rule which would make broadcasting local events more difficult so “local viewers are less likely to watch the local broadcasters.”
A special report recommended in June 2011 that the localism proceeding be ended because of its destructive burdens. Over opposition from other commissioners, the FCC chairman appointed by President Obama continued it and, after the November election, the FCC could move to adopt it.
The Chief of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a fellow law professor of President Obama, has long urged that the government should take control of news to achieve its political and social purposes. Another former law professor, since appointed by President Obama to the Supreme Court, wrote an article also urging the government to manage news, saying this would be constitutional if news coverage were not “ideal” at a particular time, and government was changing news to that end.
The great historian Gordon S. Wood writes, “Remember that the United States has always been to ourselves and to the world primarily an idea.” Ending this country’s free press and free speech traditions would certainly destroy that idea.
8th Annual Labor Of Love Fundraising Banquet Set For October 18
Salisbury, MD – The 8th Annual Labor of Love fall fundraising banquet will be held on October 18, 2012 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center at 7:00pm. The keynote speaker will be Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D. Dr. Yoest is President & CEO of Americans United for Life (AUL), the first national pro-life organization in the nation, whose legal strategists have been involved in every pro-life case before the United States Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade. A regular political commentator, Dr. Yoest has appeared on all of the major networks and cable outlets. In print, Dr. Yoest is quoted regularly and has been published widely. In August 2011, the Christian Science Monitor, in its cover-page profile of her, called Dr. Yoest “pro-life’s kinder, gentler face” and wrote “she represents the changing face of the antiabortion movement.” Please join us at this momentous occasion. For additional information, please call Jackie at 410.546.5433.
Proceeds from the banquet will benefit the Eastern Shore Pregnancy Center, a non-profit organization providing support to anyone facing the challenges of a crisis or unintended pregnancy.
Burglars Caught In Pittsville
Burglary on Railroad Ave in Pittsville. HOMEOWNERS HAVE BURGLAR DETAINED!! Sheriffs Dept in route. Awesome!
UPDATE: Owner Located
If you could please give me a hand in trying to find my dog, I would greatly appreciate it. My 4 year old yellow lab ran off Thursday night in the Willow Creek area of Salisbury. He is approximately 85 pounds, is not neutered, and does not have a collar on at this time. As far as distingushing marks he has his dew claws removed and he currently has a skin infection that appears as red bumps on his belly. He does not bite and is very friendly. He loves to play ball, the water, and attention. Attached are two pictures of him. If you hear any thing please let me know. I can be reached by phone at 410-726-0625 or by email at jd40145@yahoo.com
DEMOCRATS: INVESTIGATE BENGHAZI ATTACK AFTER THE ELECTION
Don’t be fooled by the supposedly bipartisan effort to investigate the Obama administration’s actions after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. Democrats are no more serious about challenging their leader in the White House than they have ever been.
Trying to pass off his actions as part of a bipartisan effort at investigation, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) started circulating a letter that his aides said would be asking for more information.
Republicans claimed that there were now calls from both parties for an examination of Obama and his administration’s actions; Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said:
Here Are 20 Cool Facts About America's War Dogs
Believe it or not, dogs have been fighting beside their human counterparts in military
conflicts for the better part of the last 3,000 years.
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Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, Romans, and yes, Americans.
We here at BI Military and Defense do a lot of slideshows about jets or tanks or patrols, but not much about our literal dogs of war.
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Julian Assange Addressed The UN
Julian Assange addressed the UN on Wednesday via a satellite uplink from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he's been holed up since June. Assange devoted his speech to Bradley Manning and the ongoing persecution in the United States of Wikileaks. Assange noted that Manning – the soldier accused of turning over U.S. diplomatic cables to Wikileaks to expose war crimes – has now been locked up for 856 days – far more than the legal maximum in the U.S. military, which is 120 days. Assange also slammed President Obama for taking credit for the Arab Spring – arguing that the Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire triggering the first uprising in the Arab Spring did not do so to help Barack Obama get re-elected. Assange ended his speech by saying, "It is time for President Obama do the right thing, and join the forces of change, not in fine words but in fine deeds."
Boardwalk Skate Law Advances
A law allowing skateboarding on the Boardwalk has been drafted and approved by the Mayor and City Council to come forward next week to receive final approval.
On Tuesday, the Mayor and City Council voted to move a drafted ordinance to first reading that will allow skateboarding, for transportation purposes only, on Atlantic Avenue, or the Boardwalk, during the same off-season schedule that bicycles are allowed.
The law regarding skateboarding will transform from being unlawful for any person to operate a skateboard on Atlantic Avenue at any time to the following times.
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On Tuesday, the Mayor and City Council voted to move a drafted ordinance to first reading that will allow skateboarding, for transportation purposes only, on Atlantic Avenue, or the Boardwalk, during the same off-season schedule that bicycles are allowed.
The law regarding skateboarding will transform from being unlawful for any person to operate a skateboard on Atlantic Avenue at any time to the following times.
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Small Businesses Are Getting Screwed By Their Main Lobbying Organization
The mask is slipping off the National Federation of Independent Businesses. The organization, which claims to be an interest group on behalf of small businesses, was called out by the Center for Media and Democracy on a new website called NFIBexposed.org. The website alleges that instead of representing small business, the NFIB is actually doing the bidding of large transnational corporations against the best interests of small, independent businesses. One glaring example is the NFIB lobbying against Obamacare – which gives generous incentives to small businesses that provide health insurance to their employees. The NFIB also lobbies against proposed tax increases on the wealthy, despite the fact that such increases only affect 3% of small businesses. Not only that – the NFIB is radically partisan, while most small businesses are not. So far this election cycle, 98% of the NFIB's political donations have gone to Republicans. Clearly the NFIB isn't around to help small businesses – it's another shill organization to help giant corporations eat up small businesses on Main Streets all across America. Spread the word.
Evergreen Health gets $65M loan for Md. insurance CO-OP
Evergreen Health Cooperative Inc., founded by Dr. Peter Beilenson, has received a $65 million federal loan to start an insurance “CO-OP” in Maryland.
CO-OPs — Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans — are part of the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act. The program aims to encourage states to expand health insurance.
The loan comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Md. Labor Department Overpays Unemployment Claims, Auditors Find
The Maryland Labor Department’s Division of Unemployment Insurance overpaid millions in benefits to people who were actually working and shelled out unemployment benefits to people who were dead or in prison. The division also certified job stimulus tax credits for employers hiring the unemployed for some workers who weren’t actually receiving unemployment benefits.
Female Pedestrian Succumbs To Injuries From Hit And Run Crash, Newark
Resume:
Newark-Maria V. Eldreth-52 of Wilmington, DE has died as a result of multiple traumatic injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle on Corporate Boulevard, Newark, DE last Tuesday, September 25, 2012. Eldreth, who had been admitted in critical condition to the Christiana Hospital Trauma Center since the crash, was pronounced dead late last evening.
The Delaware State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate and conduct interviews to determine the circumstances surrounding this incident. Additional information regarding this incident and identification of the operator of the striking vehicle will be released pending charges.
No further details to be released at this time.
BRADLEY IN A BLAZE
Area residents started coming together in a relief effort less than 24 hours after a fire destroyed several units of a bayside condominium Wednesday.
Three to six families were reportedly displaced by the fire at Bradley on the Bay, a condominium complex at 37th Street, that started at about 5:30 p.m. All lived in units on the top floor of the threestory building and some were at home at the time of the fire, said Ryan Whittington, spokesman for the Ocean City Fire Department.
The Red Cross provided hotel accommodations for some of the victims; others stayed with relatives or friends.
Border Patrol Agent Fatally Shoots California Woman
A Border Patrol agent fatally shot a 32-year-old mother of five Friday in suburban San Diego as he rode on the hood of her car after she ran into him, authorities and family members said.
The agent fired after being driven several hundred yards on the hood, Chula Vista police Capt. Gary Wedge told The Associated Press. The woman was later identified in a police statement as Valeria Alvarado.
The shooting occurred about five miles north of the Mexican border as plainclothes agents were looking to serve a felony warrant in the area to someone other than Alvarado, Border Patrol Deputy Chief Rodney Scott told U-T San Diego.
Water On Mars?
NASA said it's got new proof that water once ran on Mars. The Curiosity Rover has found the remains of an old stream bed. It is sending back images of rocks and gravel. Scientists said, based on the size of the stones, the stream could have been hip deep. They said water moved at 3 feet per second. The rover is trying to find signs of life on Mars and water is a prerequisite for life.
Viral Video Touting Free 'Obama Phone' Puts Spotlight On Federal Program
A viral video of an Obama supporter touting her “Obama phone” has put the spotlight on an obscure federal program that provides discounted phone service to qualifying low-income Americans.
“Keep Obama as president,” the animated woman says on the video. “He gave us a phone.”
The video is drawing attention to the government program — Lifeline — as a national debate unfolds on entitlements and the growing percentage of Americans who pay no income taxes and get a long menu of government benefits. But even though some beneficiaries may credit President Obama for providing the phones, Lifeline is an extension of a program that has existed since 1985. Still, critics including Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., note the program has swelled from $772 million in 2008 to $1.6 billion.
Lobbyists
A federal judge said the government can stop lobbyists from serving on federal commissions. Six lobbyists had sought to overturn the Obama administration's ban so they could serve on industry-trade advisory boards. Judge Amy Berman Jackson dismissed their lawsuit against the Commerce Department. She said the lobbyists could not prove that the ban violated their First Amendment rights. In the ruling, she said serving on a federal advisory board is not the same as a tax exemption or unemployment benefits.
Postal Service Executive Pleads Guilty
A former Postal Service executive has pleaded guilty to embezzlement. David Kosturko filed expense forms for $17,000 in travel reimbursements from the agency. As the agency's assistant treasurer, Kosturko traveled often. He paid his expenses with an agency charge card. Prosecutors said he would book multiple airline tickets for the same trip, travel on the cheaper flight, but tell the Postal Service he had taken the more expensive one. They say he did this 35 times in recent years. Kosturko faces up to five years in prison.
Happy Ending For Stolen Maryland Puppy
A puppy stolen on Tuesday from a Maryland rescue group has been returned safely.
Mango, a 7-week-old minature pinscher/dachshund mix, was stolen on Tuesday by a couple who visited the Animal Resource Foundation in Chester, Md. ARF, as it's known, says the man and woman came to look at puppies, left quickly and soon after Mango was discovered missing.
The group quickly printed fliers about the puppy and posted information on their Facebook page, offering a $500 reward for information leading to the safe return of Mango.
WCSO Press Release
Incident: Weapon on School Property
Date of Incident: 27 September 2012
Location: 200 E. College Avenue, Salisbury, MD
Suspect: 1.Male Juvenile, 12, Salisbury, MD
2. Male Juvenile, 12, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 27 September 2012 at 1:15 PM, the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office began an
investigation into the report of a handgun in the possession of a student at Bennett Middle School.
Reports were received that an indentified7th grade student was seen brandishing the weapon during the
school day. The deputy assigned to Bennett Middle School located the student who no longer had the
weapon in his possession but the investigation quickly led to another student’s locker where the weapon
was recovered. Upon recovery the weapon was identified as an extremely realistic .BB gun.
The .BB gun was seized and both students, the one allegedly brandishing it and the one whose locker it
was stored in, will be charged through the Department of Juvenile Services. Since the students who
observed this behavior believed the .BB gun to be an actual handgun, both students will be charged with
having a weapon on school property.
Both students were released to guardians.
Charges: Weapon of School Property
Military Heroes’ Social Security Numbers Posted Online
The Social Security numbers of some of the nation’s most highly decorated Army war heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan were posted this week by a civilian contractor on a publicly available website.
The Army has launched an investigation to find out how the privacy of its heroes was violated.
Of more than 500 names and profiles on the site, 31 contain Social Security numbers. Six are Medal of Honor recipients, two of whom are alive. There are also Social Security numbers for 25 soldiers who earned the Distinguished Service Cross, 22 of whom are living.
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Repairing The Washington Monument
The National Park Service has named a contractor to repair the Washington Monument. The company is a subsidiary of Perini, which built the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown Washington, D.C. The nearly $10 million project requires scaffolding around the monument for at least a year. It's going up in about two months. Perini will fix the stonework that was damaged by last year's earthquake. It will seal cracks and strengthen the tower with metal brackets. Including work already done, the total cost of repairs will be $15 million. Half of that is federal money. A local businessman has donated the rest.
Researcher Says Flaw In Android Creates Phone Risk
Cellphones using Google's Android operating system are at risk of being disabled or wiped clean of their data, including contacts, music and photos because of a security flaw that was discovered several months ago but went unnoticed until now.
Opening a link to a website or a mobile application embedded with malicious code can trigger an attack capable of destroying the memory card in Android-equipped handsets made by Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson, rendering the devices useless, computer security researcher Ravi Borgaonkar wrote in a blog post Friday. Another code that can erase a user's data by performing a factory reset of the device appears to target only the newly released and top selling Galaxy S III and other Samsung phones, he wrote.
Get Handicapped Parking With A Fake Doctor’s Note, Maybe Go To Prison
Let’s say that you commute from a relatively rural area, and work in a dense urban environment where there’s little parking to be found. Driving is the best way to get to your office, but taking a shuttle from a distant off-site garage or fighting for street parking is such a hassle. What do you do? If you’re a certain information technology worker for the state of New York, you forge a note from your doctor granting you a handicapped parking space, then assume that you’ll never be caught. Now, instead of a luxurious parking space right near his office, he’s in jail, and could face up to four years in prison.
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Judge Rules Out Pre-Trial Visit To Hudson Farm
With a little more than a week left before the opening of the trial in the civil suit against a Berlin farm family over alleged pollution violations dating back to 2009, the federal judge presiding over the case late last week ruled out a pre-trial visit to the site where the infractions allegedly occurred.
In March 2010, the Waterkeeper Alliance, along with the Assateague Coastal Trust and the Assateague Coastkeeper, filed suit in U.S. District Court against Perdue and Berlin’s Hudson Farm, a contract factory farm operation of about 80,000 birds. The suit was filed after sampling in ditches adjacent to the property allegedly revealed high levels of harmful fecal coliform and E. Coli in concentrations that exceed state limits. The Waterkeeper Alliance filed suit in federal court accusing the farm of violating the state’s Clean Water Act.
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In March 2010, the Waterkeeper Alliance, along with the Assateague Coastal Trust and the Assateague Coastkeeper, filed suit in U.S. District Court against Perdue and Berlin’s Hudson Farm, a contract factory farm operation of about 80,000 birds. The suit was filed after sampling in ditches adjacent to the property allegedly revealed high levels of harmful fecal coliform and E. Coli in concentrations that exceed state limits. The Waterkeeper Alliance filed suit in federal court accusing the farm of violating the state’s Clean Water Act.
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Internet Privacy Advocates To FTC: Maybe Check Into This Whole Facebook & Datalogix Thing
After the world caught wind of Facebook’s sassy new partnership with data mining company Datalogix, we figured it would only be a matter of time before the public protestations started. The advocates over at the Electronic Privacy Information Center have teamed up with the Center for Digital Democracy are coming out with guns blazing against the pairing in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission.
EPIC and CDD are concerned because Datalogix will be sifting through the millions of bits of information it has access to on consumers who use retailers’ loyalty rewards programs and other data and matching that up with Facebook users. That way, Facebook can figure out how often people who look at ads actually end up buying the product in the store. That ain’t cool, writes the groups in the letter. They claim Facebook is in violation of the FTC’s order to not misrepresent its users’ privacy.
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Berlin Hosts Outdoor Wedding Show
Berlin’s first outdoor wedding show is planned for Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The event will feature approximately 25 vendors, offering demonstrations, fashion shows, gifts, prizes, custom registries, culinary venues, entertainment, products, services and more.
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The event will feature approximately 25 vendors, offering demonstrations, fashion shows, gifts, prizes, custom registries, culinary venues, entertainment, products, services and more.
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HISTORICAL MOMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 9-29-12
Jewelry Show
Today
1:00 PM Til 4:00 PM
Faith Community Church
Local Artist Teresa King
hand made glass beaded jewelry and custom made items
Nobody Wants To Get Sick But Plenty Of People Are Still Avoiding Flu Shots
Who wants the flu this year? No one? That’s what we thought. So how come lots of people — especially those most at risk for getting sick — aren’t going in for flu shots? Health experts aren’t sure, they just know that flu shots are somewhat of a hard sell lately. And those who most need one, pregnant women and health care workers, aren’t showing up to get vaccinated as much as they should.
New numbers on immunizations in this country show that fewer than half of pregnant women got vaccinated in 2011, and only two-thirds of health care workers opted for the flu shot, reports NBC News.
Public health officials are the biggest pushers of the shots, but combined with the fact that it’s hard in some places to get the vaccine and mild flu seasons convincing people they’ll be fine without it is producing low numbers.
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OBAMA SPENDING $300 MILLION FOR 'PALESTINIAN STATE'
The Obama administration has released details of a plan to infuse another $300 million into West Bank and Gaza construction projects, spending it deems critical toward attaining the “success of a future Palestinian state.”
Despite combined U.S. and international donor-community efforts, a significant portion of the public infrastructure currently under Palestinian Authority control remains in need of expansion or repair, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development, the USAID.
Will Dish Be First Big Cable Company To Enter Internet-Only TV Race?
For the last few years, cable and satellite providers have been making more and more channels available for live streaming over the Internet. But you had to be a subscriber to a standard TV package in order to reap that added benefit. Now a new report claims that Dish is trying to convince some broadcasting biggies to join them as they dip their toes into the Internet-only pool.
According to Bloomberg, Dish has been having chats with Viacom, Scripps (the folks behind the Food Network, HGTV and others), and Univision about offering some of their channels in lower-priced, smaller bundles that would be accessible via computers and tablets.
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PILOT FAKES IMPENDING PLANE CRASH IN CRAZY PROPOSAL STUNT
Nothing says romantic marriage proposal like convincing your girlfriend she’s going to die right before you pop the question.
Well, that’s exactly what one pilot boyfriend did — and she still said yes.
In February, pilot Ryan Thompson took his girlfriend, Carlie Kennedy, on a romantic sightseeing flight over Chicago. In the middle of the flight, Thompson told his girlfriend that there was a problem with the plane’s controls and ordered her to read off the “emergency checklist,“ which contained instructions for a ”ring engagement procedure,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports.